Will of Silvester Cleaver the elder, yeoman, 1681

Herts RO 118 AW3

In the name of God amen the twentyth day of May in the three & thirtieth yeare of the reigne of our Soverigne Lord Charles the Second by the grace of God of England Scotland France and Ireland King Defender of the faith I Silvester Cleaver of Winslow in the County of Bucks the elder \yeoman/ in the County of Bucks being sick & weak of body but of perfect minde & memory thanks bee unto God therefore calling to minde the mortallity of my body and knoweing that it is appoynted for all men once to dy doe make and ordaine this my last will & Testamentt in mannor & forme followeing that is to say first & principally I give my Soule into the hands of allmighty God who gave it mee & as for my body I commend it to the earth to bee buryed in christian and decentt mannor nothing doubting but at the generall resurrection I shall receive the same againe by the mighty power of God and as touching that worldly estate wherewith it hath pleased God to blesse mee in this life I give devise bequeath & dispose in manner & forme following as for my moveables I give as followeth Imprimis I give unto my daughter Elizabeth Irish one table & frame one great chest one bedsteed whereon I now ly one great kettle the newest Item I give unto Sylvester the sonne of William Cleaver one shilling Item I give unto Elizabeth Cleaver the daughter of William Cleaver one blanquett & one sheet Item I give unto Mary Cleaver the Daughter of William Cleaver a paire of blanketts & a paire of sheets Item I give unto Ann Cleaver the daughter of William Cleaver one blankett & one sheet and as for all the rest of my moveable goods I doe give unto my sonne Sylvester Cleaver who I do ordaine to bee my whole executor of this my last will & testamentt and I doe disalow revoke and make voyd and anull all and every former wills or testamentts bequests or executors by mee or in any wise before this time named willed & bequeathed ratifying and confirmeing this & none other to bee my last will & testamentt In witnesse whereof I have hereunto sett to my hand & seale the day & year first above written

The mark of Sillvester Cleaver

Signed sealed published & pronounced & declared by the sayd Silvester Cleaver as his last will & testament in the presence of

[signed] Robert Gibbes
John Hewitt
Richard Ginger

Inventory of Silvester Cleaver, 1681

Herts RO A25/4102

A true Inventory of the goods & chattles of Sillvester Cleaver the Elder lately deceased as it was vallued by Richard Phips & John Huett the one & thirtieth day of May 1681

                                                                  
£
s
d
Imp(rimi)s his wearing apparrel & his purse
3
0
0
Item in the hall 3 pewter dishes 2 plates with other peices of pewter
0
4
0
Item in the same roome the brasse
1
10
0
Item in the same roome 1 table & frame foure joyne stooles & two charies
0
8
0
Item one cubbard one chest 1 settle one table in the parlore
1
0
0
Item in the parlore 1 flock bed bedsteed 1 coverlet & two blanketts
1
0
0
In the same room 5 paire of blanketts & 5 paire of sheets
2
5
0
Item in the chamber over the kitchen 5 paire of sheets & 5 paire of blanketts
2
10
0
Item in the same roome 2 table clothes & half a dussand of napkins with other peices of linnen
0
10
0
Item 3 old bedsteeds & other lumber
1
6
8
Item in the yard 1 dungcart hay and firewood with other lumber
2
1
6
Item in the barne the wheat in the straw & some thresht
2
0
0
Item one cow and the white horse
3
0
0
Item the Cropp groweing in the feild as followeth
Imp(rimi)s two acres & a halfe of barley at clarks furlong in demoram feild
4
5
0
item one acre of barley at Sparlow
1
10
0
Item 3 ridges of wheat at Tuckey hill
1
3
4
Item 1 yeard of barley at gores bush
0
15
0
Item 1 yeard more of barley in the same furlong
0
12
0
Item 2 yeards of wheat at claydon Brooke
1
0
0
[page 2] Item in gorst hill furlong 7 ridges of wheat neere claydon high way
6
0
0
Item one Ridg of barley shooteing to claydon brooke
0
13
4
Item one acre of barley in the wood
1
0
0
Item one butt of wheat in the towne furlong
0
6
8
Item 7 ridges of beans shooting to Thomas Godwyns headland
1
13
4
Item one acre of beans at Hollifurrow
1
0
0
Item one land of beans at Langland
0
15
0
Item three ridges of beans at the Stone
1
0
0
Item two acres of beans shooting to Granborow brook
1
3
4
Item 3 lands of beans at Marr Acre
1
0
0
Item nine lands of beans at Marr Acre
2
6
8
Item 6 lands of oats at shippon towne side & 1 land of beans lying there
2
6
8
Item six butts of beans at poors furlong furrowes
1
3
4
Item 2 ridges of barley at old Mill
1
10
0
in all    
51
18
10

[signed] Richard Phipps
John Huwitt

21 - 9 - 4
30      6

Click on the pictures for full images of the documents:

The will:

Will of Silvester Cleaver

The inventory p.1:

Inventory of Silvester Cleaver p1

The inventory p.2:

Inventory of Silvester Cleaver p2

Notes

Silvester Cl(e)aver first appears in Winslow records in 1649, and bought and/or married his way into a substantial landholding in Winslow (up to 60 acres - 28 acres were eventually sold to William and Robert Lowndes in 1687). He probably came to Winslow from Cublington, where William son of Sylvester and Katherine Cleever was baptised in 1637, or Middle Claydon where Silvester son of Silvester Claver was baptised in 1645 (the surname is also found at Hardwick, but the main seat of the minor gentry Claver family was at Oving). The 1682 manor court contains a number of entries relating to Silvester's property. He actually lived at Hogshaw, as the following certificate shows:

National Archives, E115/85
We whose Names are heere subscribed Comm(issione)d amongst others in ye said County of Bucks for ye ratinge taxinge levyinge & assessinge of ye foure Entire Subsidies granted to His Ma(jes)tie by ye late Act of Parliam(en)t doe Certifie unto ye Lord Cheife Baron ye Barons ye Audit & Audit(or)s of his Ma(jes)ties Court of Exchequer & to all other officers to Whome ye same may app(er)teyne That Silvester Claver of Hogshaw in ye County afores(ai)d is taxed and assessed by us to & for ye Two last of ye said foure Subsidies not onely for his estate at Hogshaw afores(ai)d where he ye said Silvester Claver resideth but also w(i)th respect had unto & for his estate at Winslow in Cotteslow hundred in this County Given under our handes & Seales this 27th day of January 1663
[signed] Rich Pigott                           Rd Grenvile                        Geo: Wynn

Silvester's land was heavily mortgaged, and deeds for 4 mortgages survive (presumably thanks to the Lowndeses); Silvester failed to repay them:

Centre for Bucks Studies, BAS 376/22 no.33: Court held on 3 April 1676
Silvester Claver sr surrendered:

To the use of John Smith of Bottle Claydon.  To be void if Silvester pays him £51 on 4 April 1677.  Rent 1s, fine 8s.

No.34 (same court)
Silvester Claver surrendered 10 acres:

To the use of Mary Adams of Swanborne, widow, on condition that it will be void if Sylvester pays her at her dwelling house in Swanborne £53: 30s on 4 Oct following and £51 10s on 4 April 1677.  Rent 2s 6d, fine 20s.

No.35: Court held on 11 Oct 1676
Silvester Claver sr surrendered:

To the use of Thomas Deverell sr of Neerton in the parish of Swanborne gent., on condition that it will be void if he pays him £53 at Thomas’ dwelling house in the parish of Swanborne: 30s on 12 April next, £50 30s on 12 Oct 1677.  Rent 2s 6d, fine 20s.

No. 36: Court held on 12 Oct 1677
Silvester Claver surrendered these lands containing 6½ acres:

To the use of John Smith of Bottle Claydon, on condition that it will be void if Silvester pays him £53 on 13 Oct 1678.  Rent 1s 7d, fine 13s.

Copyright 19 November, 2017